The Spy
by Josephine de Chagny
Summary: A young, impressionable Starfleet ensign, taken hostage by the Dominion. She faces the impossible choice of following orders that will result in the deaths of thousands on her own side, or suffer torture and death at the hands of the Dominion.
1. Part One  Captured

AUTHOR'S NOTE AND DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN STAR TREK DS9, AS MUCH AS I'D LOVE TO. PARAMOUNT OWNS IT. BRENDAN TARR, DELIA GRISSOM, AND GILLY THE CAT ARE ALL MINE, HOWEVER. PLEASE DO NOT USE THEM WITHOUT EXPRESS CONSENT.

And I just want to say thank you for all the kind reviews! I don't know what's going to happen to them, because I'm replacing that chapter with this one (because the chapter is actually finished now!) But I must say that it makes me very happy to see people respond well to my stories.

And, as is always the case, critique is always welcome, as are reviews. :)

ON TO THE STORY!

One – Captured

"You better write to us. Every day, young lady," my father, Richard Grissom, said as he pulled me into a tight bear hug. I nodded and gave him a squeeze. I would miss the feel of his stubbly beard against my cheek.

"I promise, Dad." He gave me a sad sort of smile as he leaned down to pick up my cat carrier. I chuckled, "What're you going to do without me and Gilly running around the house?"

"I suppose your mother and I will have to get a puppy."

I grinned, "I'm sure she'd love that. Make sure you tell her I'll miss her, okay?"

"I know she wishes she could have been here to see you off. But who knows? Perhaps you'll cross paths on Deep Space 9 after her stay on Bajor."

My communicator badge beeped, and I touched it to acknowledge. "Grissom here," I said.

"The runabout is ready to leave, aside from the fact that we're lacking our helmsman, Grissom," said Lieutenant Arden, the senior officer that would be accompanying me and the rest of the kiddies fresh out of the Academy to the _U.S.S. Reunion_, the ship that would take us on the long journey to Deep Space 9. I picked up my backpack, and tapped my badge again.

"I'll be right there. Grissom out," I replied, taking a deep breath and smiling wide for my father.

"I'll write to you, so you have something to read once you get to DS9," Dad reassured me. I pulled him close for one last embrace.

"I'll miss you, Daddy," I whispered. I pulled away, and he handed me the cat carrier that held my kitten, Gilly, who I'd gotten as a present for graduating from the Academy earlier in the year. I turned around and looked up at the small vessel that would bring us into space, our second venture away from Earth. I took a deep breath and walked up the small ramp into the runabout, and Crewman Tarr closed the airlock behind me.

I brought my backpack and the carrier down to the small barracks in the underbelly of the vessel before taking my station on the bridge, which was hardly a bridge at all. "Glad you could join us, Crewman. We were beginning to think we'd have to let Crewman Hanoi take us out," Lieutenant Arden said. She said it as a joke, but there was a sting to her words as well. I glanced at the console in front of me to casually see what time it was, and had to fight the feeling of failure that swelled below my diaphragm when I saw that it was already 0923. We'd been scheduled to leave at 0900.

"Sorry, sir, it won't happen again," I said, grimacing. Arden gave a half smile and shook her head.

"Take us out, Crewman," she said. Around me I could feel the vessel shudder to life, the impulse engines giving off a pleasant hum. And even through the layers of metal and wire, I could hear Gilly whining below our feet. The others on deck obviously could as well. "Sounds like someone has little faith in your ability to get us safely to the _Reunion_, Crewman," Arden said with a smirk. The small space echoed with the laughter of the three other newbies and myself.

I was able to get our small transport to the _Reunion _in one piece, the 10 minute flight uneventful, save for the incessant cries from my kitten. Once in the shuttle bay of the _Reunion_, we twelve crewmen disembarked from the runabout, and were led by Arden to the barracks where we would spend the majority of the rest of our trip.

I chose the bottom bunk of the bed furthest from the wall, and set Gilly's personal items up first before I sat on the bed to examine the padd that lay across my pillow. I looked around, and saw that everyone else's pillows had an identical padd laying on it, too.

The padd detailed the basic rules we were to follow whilst on board the _Reunion_ and included a basic map of the ship so that we could find our way around a little more easily. There was information on the duties we would be expected to perform on DS9, and a little information about the people who we would be serving alongside on DS9.

I devoured the information and was left hungry for more. By the time I finished reading it, my peers had migrated off, probably to the mess hall for dinner. Gilly jumped up on the bed as I set the padd down, and gave me a look that said, _pet me, love me, feed me, NOW. _I scratched her under the chin and rolled onto my side to love on her better.

As I lay there, Brendan Tarr re-entered the room, carrying a stack of padds and a bowl of what I suspected was oatmeal. I waved at him, he'd chosen a bed on the far side of the room. He grinned when he noticed me. He was part Cardassian, but it was only noticeable when he didn't wear a shirt that covered his neck. I knew he'd volunteered to serve aboard DS9, even though he knew that if the Bajorans found out what he was, he'd be shunned.

He set the stack of padds down on his bed and strolled over toward me. I sat up and looked him up and down. We had been in the same class at the Academy when we'd begun, but he'd transferred into the science program, and I stayed on to learn command and security. In the years since I'd last seen him, he'd gotten much taller, and the neck and slightly-gray skin tone he'd fought so hard to hide was that much more apparent on his much more adult self. He looked very grown up, and yet somehow out of place in the Starfleet uniform he wore.

"Hello, Delia, I thought that was you," he said, grinning a sly grin. I stood up, holding Gilly with me. She protested as I held her out so that Brendan could pet her. Instead, he took her by the scruff and the rear, and held her close to his chest. She yowled and spit. Brendan and I both had a good laugh.

Aside from the obvious difference between us, he and I were polar opposites. He was tall, had black hair and a pale complexion that a classmate had once compared to the color of rotting meat, his eyes were an intense shade of blue with wide pupils that were the exact shade of black that the empty space between stars and planets is. And to top it all off, he was muscular. Whereas I was short, curvy, with blond-brown hair and brown eyes so dark they looked black, very little muscle tone, and skin that was just tan. Sun kissed, mother always called it.

"Hey Brendan, you excited to move in at DS9? I heard there's a great view of the wormhole from the promenade," I offered, unsure what to say now that I had his attention. It didn't seem to matter what I said, anyway, as he was fixated on the cat, who was busy climbing the front of his uniform.

"I suppose it'll be nice to have my own quarters, there. Do you know what you'll be assigned to do once we're there yet?" he asked, absentmindedly petting Gilly, smiling a little wider with every small purr that escaped her throat.

I nodded, "Yeah, it looks like I'll mostly be on security detail, which stinks, because that means I'll have to work closely with that changeling." I rolled my eyes. Nobody wanted to work with the changeling. Not during this war. Not when our parents and siblings and friends were all out there, risking their lives to help save us from death at the hands of the other changelings. What made this changeling so much different? I didn't want to find out. "What about you, Brendo?" I asked, and he cringed at the use of his old nickname.

"It looks like I will be helping to research the Wormhole Aliens." There was a certain gruffness to his voice when he mentioned the Wormhole Aliens.

"Oh, lucky, that means you'll probably get to work with Lieutenant Commander Dax and Captain Sisko," I whined, "While I'm stuck answering to the changeling."

"Wanna trade?" he offered. I could tell from the look on his face that he wasn't thrilled about his assignment, either. He chuckled, holding Gilly out to me. The cat gratefully leaped into my arms, and as I snuggled her close, something caused the ship to rock violently, throwing Brendan and I to the floor.

"Red Alert, Red Alert, all senior members to your stations, Red Alert, Red Alert," the computer's voice, a dry sort of woman's voice, came across all comm channels. Brendan scrambled to get up and bolted for the door.

"Where are you going?" I asked, "We're not senior officers, Brendan, we're practically _cargo_!" He turned around with the crazed look that I'd seen in so many pictures and videos of Cardassians, the propaganda that was being shown to get us ready to fight in the war.

"This is our first _real_ Red Alert! I'm not gonna sit down here in some barracks!" And with that, he disappeared out the door. Moments later, five of the other crewmen in our group came stumbling through the doors as the ship rocked again, this time more violently. Gilly slipped out of my arms and ran for the door.

"Gilly, no!" I screamed, scrambling after her. She slipped through just before the door shut. I smacked the console next to the door, it whooshed back open, and I ran out after her-

-Right into a group of Jem'Hadar. I stood there, weighing my options. Four guns fixed on me, and I could swear that, in the chaos that erupted around me, I could hear my heart beating straight out of my chest. I put my hands up and fell to my knees.

"Please, don't kill me," I whimpered. Two of them lowered their weapons, came forward, and grabbed my arms roughly, pulling me to my feet. One of them grunted something into what I expected was a communication device, and, for only the fifth time in my life, I was transported. Still not used to the sensation that made my stomach do back flips, I blacked out.

When I came to, I found myself in a holding cell with Brendan and a Klingon who I'd never seen before. There didn't seem to be a containment field separating us from the single Jem'Hadar that stood guard. I groaned, my head throbbing. Brendan crawled over to me, and I noticed that he was shirtless, and his body covered with deep bruises and lacerations.

"Brendan, you're hurt-" I whispered. He held his finger to his lips and shook his head. He looked up at the Jem'Hadar, who seemed more preoccupied with something on a console than with us. He looked back to me and I could see fear in his eyes for the first time ever.

"What's going on?" I whispered, my voice barely audible.

"We're being brought to Cardassia Prime. They've already tried interrogating me, but they didn't get much aside from the satisfaction of seeing my blood." I sighed, and then held my breath as the Jem'Hadar looked over at us. Brendan leaned against the back wall of the little holding cell we found ourselves in as the Jem'Hadar approached us.

"You, human, get up," it barked, nudging me with the end of his gun. I got up as quickly as I could, my head spinning. "Move!" The Jem'Hadar hit me with the gun, pushing me toward the door. As it opened, I was thrust into the hallway and led along by another Jem'Hadar to a door where they shoved me forward.

Shaking from fear I couldn't keep myself from feeling, I walked through the door and into a room that was nothing like I expected. No, it was brightly lit, there were soft chairs that lined the large windows on the port wall. On the opposite end of the room, seated in a large, plush chair, was a Vorta. As I stepped cautiously into the room, I realized that it wasn't just any Vorta, but Weyoun. I cringed.

In all the videos and stories we'd been shown and told in the Academy, we had learned one thing, that Weyoun was not someone we ever wanted to meet. I was so focused on his face and the fact that I felt I was doomed, that I didn't realize what he held in his lap.

"Ah, our other young Federation guest!" said Weyoun, a small smile growing on his face, "Please, sit! Make yourself comfortable, I know the Jem'Hadar aren't the most hospitable of races and I wish to make up for that fact." He gestured to the chair that was almost directly in front of him. I slowly, cautiously took a few more steps forward. Weyoun must've been able to hear my heart pounding, because the next thing he said was, "You have nothing to worry about as long as you do not lie to me."

I took a deep breath and walked the remaining few steps over to the chair he'd gestured to, and, after looking straight into his purple-blue eyes, I sat down, keeping my back straight, unwilling to appear comfortable and relaxed.

"Good, now we can talk. I'm Weyoun, but you seem to already know who I am. The problem, it seems, is who _exactly _ you are. There was no record of you on the ship's crew manifest. Puzzling." His voice irritated me, the almost-childlike way he formed his words. The curiosity that hid behind his eyes.

I was determined not to answer. He waited for a while, returning my gaze. It seemed he was probing my mind with those eyes of his, until I heard a familiar noise and my gaze shifted to his lap. There, perched delicately in the hands of the Vorta, laid my Gilly. My mouth formed a small "o" of shock.

"Gilly," I breathed, and leaned forward to retrieve my cat, before reminding myself that it was probably not a good idea to snatch something away from Weyoun, as he could have me killed before I got within a foot of him. I furrowed my brow and restrained myself.

"Ah yes, tell me, what _is_ this delightful creature? I simply _must_ have one," Weyoun's eyes lit up as he spoke of the cat, my cat, which he held prisoner in his lap. Gilly completely missed the severity of the situation.

"That's a c-cat," I said, carefully considering my every word, "m-my cat, her name is Gilly."

"A _cat,_" he repeated, "_Fascinating._" He picked her up, I was astonished at the gentleness with which he handled her, and looked into her eyes. As if in response to whatever silent question he asked her, she mewled a small, lonely noise. He turned his attention back to me, and the smile his face had worn was replaced by a look of irritation.

"You still haven't answered my first question. Who _are_ you?"

I clasped my hands together in my lap and swallowed hard. "My name is Delia Grissom. I'm a Crewman on Deep Space Nine, er," I paused, "I was supposed to be a Crewman on Deep Space Nine."

"But?"

"But it doesn't seem I'll be getting there now, does it? My friend-"

"Ah yes, the Cardassian-"

"He's only part Cardassian," I interrupted. Weyoun frowned and I shut my mouth. We sat in silence for a moment and I grew increasingly nervous with the way he stared at me. When he began laughing, I nearly had a heart attack.

"Here you sit, alive or dead on my whim, and you feel the need to correct me about your friend's species? How _delightful_! I'm beginning to like you, Delia." He held Gilly up to his face once more, "Can you believe that she'd risk pain and torture over a tiny little detail like that?" Gilly yawned, and Weyoun laughed harder still. "Delightful," he chortled. I laughed a small, tense laugh.

He leaned forward in his seat, allowing Gilly a chance to get down, which she took. But, being the lazy kitty she was, she promptly flopped down at his feet, which caused him to chuckle again. The sound of his laughter grated on my nerves; I couldn't tell whether I should take it as a good or a bad sign.

I closed my eyes and tried to steady my breathing, which was ragged and uneven as my heart which was trying to beat its way out of my chest. The slightest noise from behind me caused horrible thoughts to cross my mind; Jem'Hadar storming in and beating me within an inch of my life, somebody whipping me as Brendan had been. When I opened my eyes again, I found Weyoun had moved closer. Close enough, in fact, that his face was a mere foot away from mine.

"Gah!" I cried, flinching, holding my arms up in front of my face, as if that would protect me. When he touched me to forcibly move my arms back down, I was shocked at how gentle he was. Though he was manipulating my body, it felt more like a suggestion than an order. I shrunk back in my chair. "What do you want from me?" I whispered.

"You're right. Enough chitchat, I've kept you long enough without telling you," Weyoun paused, pulling his chair closer still, until he was practically sitting in my lap. The rumor had spread like wildfire at the Academy that the Vorta, especially Weyoun, were famously disrespectful of personal space. If I ever saw anyone from the Academy again, I'd have to tell them the rumors were true.

"The Founders have a wonderful use for you," Weyoun said. His eyes lit up when he mentioned The Founders, and I swallowed, hard. What use would the leaders of the Dominion have for someone who'd just recently graduated from Starfleet Academy?

"The Founders?" I whispered. Weyoun nodded, his smile widening as he was obviously mistaking my confusion for intrigue.

"You will be an informant, stationed on Terok Nor, that is, Deep Space Nine, for us!" His tone was almost giddy as he declared this.

"What? No, I can't be a-a spy for the enemy!" I blurted, and then clasped my hands across my mouth. "I mean, that wasn't-" I cringed.

"I see your loyalty runs deeper than we expected," His voice seemed to have lost a dimension, but his face was fierce and serious, "Perhaps our hospitality will sway you. It is a lengthy trip back to Cardassia Prime. And we can afford you luxuries you'd never even be able to dream of in the Federation." The door behind me opened and I ducked down as low as I could get in my chair, clenching my eyes shut as tight as I could.

I could hear Weyoun whispering something to somebody, but I was so preoccupied with the thought of my own death that I didn't bother to listen. I felt something hard and heavy smack the back of my skull, and I fell forward out of my chair, my head searing with pain. I remember thinking that Weyoun's shoes were hideous as he said, "I do hope you'll be more... cooperative... tomorrow."

Strong arms lifted me roughly to my feet, and pulled me along, staggering, my footing uneven and my head full of fog. I don't know how long I was forced to walk, but when we stopped, a door opened, and I was shoved face-first into the darkness.

I awoke to somebody shaking me. "Delia..."

"Delia."

"_Delia, wake up_!" a voice, Brendan's voice, cut through the darkness. My eyes snapped open, and, just as quickly, snapped closed as I groaned and turned away from the bright light above my head.

"What happened?" I muttered, rubbing my eyes. It felt like someone had closed an airlock on my head.

"I was hoping you'd tell me. You were gone for more than an hour before the same Jem'Hadar that took you came to get me. Why we've been given quarters is an entirely different matter."

"What?" I asked, blinking. I squinted against the light, and lo and behold, we weren't in the holding cell any longer. I propped myself up on my elbows to get a better look. Brendan seemed satisfied that I could hold myself up, and backed away.

"What did you _tell _them?" he asked me, his gaze fierce. I shook my head.

"N-Nothing of any importance," I replied, shaking my head, and trying to recall the strange conversation with Weyoun. "My name, where we were heading-" Brendan grunted.

"Good job, Delia," he said with a sarcastic laugh, "now it will be all too easy for them to get you to do what they want you to." I sat up.

"What do you mean?"

"What do I mean? What do you_ think_ I mean? They know your name, they know your rank. They can find out where you're from, where your _family_ is,come _on, _Delia, do you think they'll just leave that information alone? If they want something from you, the next thing they're going to do is threaten your family."

I could feel a lump building in my throat. _If I don't agree to do what they want, they'll harm daddy,_ I thought.

"Now I'll ask, _again, _Delia. What **exactly** did you tell them?"

I pulled my knees to my chest, looked up at Brendan, who had begun to pace the room, and told him all of what had happened from the moment I'd left the holding cell to the moment I came to on the floor in that room. His responses ranged from a mere shake of the head, to him punching the wall and muttering, "Damnit." When I was done, when I was sure I'd relayed every detail of my interrogation, if you could call it that, to Brendan, we both fell silent as he paced.

"You're going to have to do it, Delia," he said, all of a sudden. I glared at him, fury and confusion flashing in my eyes.

"But, how can I? It's treason! I'll wind up in jail for the rest of my _life_!" I shouted.

"Well, you could always refuse, and be forced to watch your parents and little sister die horrible deaths, before you die a horrible death as well," he hissed. His eyes had that crazed look that I'd seen in the eyes of Gul Dukat in videos. I decided that it had to be a Cardassian thing. I held my head in my hands.

Brendan perched on the small, metal table that sat in the corner, under what looked like an ancient replicator, and shot me evil glances as he pondered something. I rubbed my temples, willing the pain away, willing the fog in my head to clear. Once I was sure I could stand up, I did, and took the few steps between myself and the bed that took up half the room as quickly as possible.

I flopped down on the bed, face down, and lay there until Brendan crossed the room and laid down next to me. He grabbed my shoulder and rolled me over until I faced him. "There's still one thing I don't understand, though, Delia," he said, "And if you think about it, I'm pretty sure you'll find that it doesn't make any sense. Now, they want _you_ to be their spy. They want _you_ to carry out their plans and find out what the Federation's next move will be in the war. But why, then, _why_ would they have me be given the same treatment as you?" He stared me dead in the eye. "Why would they give me clothes and dress my wounds?" I looked at him carefully and, for the first time, noticed that he wasn't wearing his Starfleet-Standard-Issue uniform in any capacity anymore.

I saw, much to my horror, that he'd been given the standard garb of a Cardassian. It made him look more Cardassian than usual, his neck and chin 'scales' more apparent. It almost seemed like he'd taken off a mask, like he was a full-blooded Cardassian. But one important feature was missing, the spoon-like indentation that all other Cardassians had. But for that first moment I looked at him, truly looked at him, I could have easily mistaken him for Gul Dukat.

"Um," I said, chewing my lip, "Maybe they think that if they continue to torture you, I'll refuse?"

"But why would _that_ matter? If they _really_ want you, they have their ways of coercing you. And if it doesn't matter if it's you or not, they'll just kill you," he retorted. I thought for a moment.

"Maybe they want you to join them, but didn't tell you because you wouldn't cooperate?" I blurted.

"That probably isn't very far from the truth," he said thoughtfully. I pulled myself the rest of the way onto the bed and took my uniform over-shirt off, revealing my standard-issue grayish purple undershirt. He looked at me, an almost disgusted look, and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Well, we aren't making our situation any better by staying up talking about it. We're practically still cadets, we don't have any of the real-life experience that enables real officers to make difficult decisions like this. I don't know about you, but I'd rather die after a decent night's sleep."

Brendan rolled his eyes at me, but I pulled the covers over myself and faced away from him, shutting my eyes. I could hear him fumbling with the awkward shirt he was wearing, and felt him lay down beside me, his skin close enough to mine that I could feel the heat coming off his wounds that were healing slowly.

"Computer, dim lights," he barked, and the lights dimmed significantly. I shifted and curled my legs up into my chest. I flinched when I felt his hand gently caress my cheek. I glanced over my shoulder at him. "I suppose now is as good a time as ever to admit that I've always... desired... you, Delia."

"What?" I asked, incredulous. He inched closer to me, his hot skin pressing against mine.

"Don't be coy. I know you've seen the way I look at you, the way I'd watch you at the Academy. I've seen the look in your eyes when you talk to me." His tone was serious, but his voice faltered.

"So, you've... had a crush on me... all these years... and _now_ is the time you decide to clue me in?" I asked, rolling my eyes. I could feel him nod, and I grunted. "Good job. We're likely going to die tomorrow."

"That's what makes it the perfect time to tell you. You could reject me, and I can die knowing that we never would have worked out," he laid his hand on my side, pulling me so that I rolled onto my back. "Besides," he murmured, "what better way to spend our last night alive than together?"

I looked him in the eye, "So, let me make sure I have this right. You think that, because we are in a hopeless situation, I'm going to sleep with you."

"Well, when you put it that way, I sound like an insensitive jerk," he said, "But that's about what I'm getting at, yeah."

I shook my head and maneuvered out of his grasp. "Go to sleep."


	2. Part Two  Betrayal and Honor

Author's Notes: Be sure to go back to part 1 and read it through, I've replaced the previous version with a longer, more complete version. Thank you to all my reviewers! I hope I continue to please.

Two – Honor and Betrayal

I looked myself over in the mirror, cringing at the bruises that were fresh, and the ones that were beginning to yellow already. I lifted an arm and was immediately sorry I had, greeted with the stench of a filthy uniform drenched with sweat from the stress of the previous day. Looking at myself in the mirror, it was hard to believe that I'd only been held captive for one day. There was a noticeable layer of grunge on my skin and hair, but I was in no way interested in trusting the sonic shower we'd been provided.

Brendan was an entirely different story. He had been up long before I awoke, and he looked much cleaner than he had been the day before. It made sense, though, he was more foolhardy than I, and he was also injured. He needed to keep his wounds clean.

I ran my hands through my hair to get as many tangles out as I could, braiding it in tiny braids as I went so that it would be more manageable. About halfway through doing this, I stopped, and began laughing at myself for doing it. _Manageable for what?_ I thought, shaking my head, _Oh yes, I don't want my hair in my face when they _kill_ me. _

I sat down by the table and stared out the window, watching the stars go by. I guessed that we were halfway to Cardassia, if not closer. I was unsure how long we'd been on the _Reunion _before we'd been attacked, how far from Earth we'd managed to get. Had I fallen asleep? Had I slept? How long had I been unconscious from the time I'd been taken from the _Reunion_?

My stomach growled. At almost the exact same time, Brendan smashed something in the bathroom. I stood up and cautiously peered through the open door, and saw him hunched over the sink, the mirror above him shattered. Glass falling around him. "Brendan?" I asked. He turned around, and I gasped.

"What, Delia, what do you want?" he growled. I stared at him, wide-eyed. His face wasn't the face I was so accustomed to. It wasn't _human_.

"What did they do to you?" I asked, "You look- I mean, you-" I couldn't form the words I was trying to find.

"Are you trying to say I look _Cardassian_?" he hissed, "Well, if you can't tell, I've noticed." He slammed his fist into the wall, denting the door frame.

Behind me, I heard the door to our quarters, our glorified holding cell, whoosh open. I whipped around to see who was there. The first to enter our room was Gilly. I knelt down to greet her as she ran in. Shortly behind her, Weyoun entered, and the door closed behind him. I made out the silhouettes of at least three Jem'Hadar soldiers on the other side of the door before it closed.

"Ah, Delia, I trust you slept well?" Weyoun asked, clapping his hands together as he approached. Before I could utter even a syllable, Brendan charged out of the bathroom, pinning Weyoun to the wall.

"What have you done to me?" he shouted. The door opened again, and two Jem'Hadar entered the room, their guns trained on the back of Brendan's head. Weyoun raised a hand, gesturing for the Jem'Hadar to back off.

"You aren't happy with our modifications?" Weyoun asked, a look of concern on his face, "I would have thought you would be _happy_ to look more like your brothers on Cardassia." Brendan punched the wall, inches from the side of Weyoun's head.

"I am _not_ a Cardassian. I am human," he growled, "I am nothing like the Cardassians." Weyoun beckoned the Jem'Hadar forward to pull him away.

"Oh, but it would appear that you are _exactly_ like the other Cardassians," Weyoun retorted. Once the Jem'Hadar had Brendan properly restrained, Weyoun brushed his shoulders off and approached me. "Have you thought over our offer, Delia?"

"I have," I replied.

"Well then, have you come to a decision?"

"I have."

"Now, before you tell me, I want to urge you to consider all possible outcomes. Think of your father, the Engineer. He's around many dangerous things every day, isn't he?" Weyoun asked, coming close enough that he could have been slow dancing with me.

"Are you threatening me?" I asked. Weyoun's expression changed, he looked hurt.

"What? Oh, no, no. I'm merely suggesting that if you were to decide to do as we ask, we could offer protection to your family. Your mother, for instance, she'll be leaving Bajor soon, correct?"

"How do you know any of this?" I asked. Weyoun shook his head.

"You honestly believe that we do not have sources throughout the Federation? Let me put it this way, if a baby sneezes on Earth, we know about it."

My heart sank. My own safety was one thing, but I couldn't be responsible for my family being put in harm's way. "Delia, don't you do it," Brendan said, breaking through my thoughts. I looked up at him, as did Weyoun. "You know what the Federation does to traitors."

"The Dominion will always have a place for you and your family if you accept our offer, which is really quite generous," Weyoun interjected.

I sank to the floor, leaning against the wall. "I..." I started, unsure of my words. Weyoun leaned down, maintaining intense eye contact with me. "I was all ready to say no, and accept death, as I assumed that would be the obvious next step of the Dominion..."

"Now, now, I can assure you we have no intentions of harming you or our friend here."

"No, we're far too valuable of prisoners!" Brendan roared, "And when they've extracted all of the information they can from us, they'd dump us in some desolate corner of the Gamma Quadrant to rot for eternity!" One of the Jem'Hadar which held him knocked him over the head with the butt of his gun, a sharp crack to the back of the skull. He slumped forward, limp in their arms. I shrieked.

Weyoun put a comforting hand on my shoulder. "I'm so sorry you had to see that, but it is obvious that he is trying to decide for you. Now, I will ask one last time, and you need only say yes or no. Will you accept our offer? The Founders' offer?"

I held my head in my hands. _If I accept, I will likely be directly responsible for the deaths of many members of the Federation, of Starfleet. If I say no, they'll likely kill my family, and I'll be a prisoner. What do I do?_ I thought, morose.

Each time I glanced up as I thought, Weyoun wore an expression of irritation, an expression that increased in severity over time. "Well?" he asked, after I'd been silent for what seemed to have been hours, though couldn't have been much more than ten minutes.

"If I agree," I asked, hesitantly, "my family, Brendan, Gilly, won't be harmed?" A sly grin spread across Weyoun's face.

"You have my word," he cooed. I sighed at the hopelessness of the situation.

"I'll do it," I said, my voice hoarse, defeated. Weyoun clapped his hands together.

"Splendid. The Founders will be pleased." I hung my head in shame. "We have much to do, to prepare before we reach Cardassia. You will have to be briefed, of course, on your mission, and, oh isn't this _wonderful_?" Weyoun stood straight once more and said something to the Jem'Hadar that I didn't hear.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Brendan's limp body tossed carelessly on the bed. I felt positively ill. Weyoun approached me once more. "You'll want to eat before we reach Cardassia. The... substances... that they call food... aren't exactly all that appetizing." I nodded slightly to show that I acknowledged what he'd said. "Once you've eaten, I want you to come and see me. Just open the door and the Jem'Hadar outside will know where to take you. All right?"

"Okay," I said, my voice barely a whisper.

Within seconds, the Jem'Hadar and the Vorta had left the room, and I was alone with Brendan and my thoughts. Tears flooded my eyes and fell like rain down the front of my uniform. Terrified of the situation I was in, the decision I'd made; terrified of the fact that I was surrounded by people who'd sooner shoot me than look at me. I cried.

Once I had regained my composure, I slowly stood up and crossed the room to the tiny bathroom provided to us. In the shards of the mirror that still hung above the sink, I looked at my face. My eyes were red and puffy, my cheeks swollen. I looked, as my mother would have said, like hell. I turned on the water and splashed my face. I sighed again, and walked back out into the main room.

I could hear Brendan stirring, he would likely awaken soon. And when he did, I was terrified of his reaction. Weighing my options, I decided that having some breakfast and then meeting with Weyoun would be the less painful of my two options.

I went to the replicator. It was your basic replication unit, so it didn't take long for me to figure out how to operate it. I ordered a raktajino and a bowl of chocolate-flavored hot cereal. It didn't matter, though, as everything tasted like cardboard to me. I ate it as quickly as possible and got up.

Smoothing my uniform, I opened the door, just as Brendan lifted his head, groaning. I stepped out quickly, despite my fear of the Jem'Hadar. I was grateful that the one posted outside our door merely pointed out where I was to go. The last thing I needed was another bruise from the butt of a rifle. I walked as slowly as I could, trying to memorize every little detail of the ship that I passed.

When I arrived at the room that the Jem'Hadar had pointed out to me, I took a deep breath and hit the door control. It opened so quickly that I had barely let my arm fall back to my side. "Come in, come in," Weyoun called. I quickly recognized the room in which I'd first met him. This time, however, the room was essentially empty, save for a single chair in the center, and the Vorta who stood at the window, watching the stars go by.

I stood just inside the door, shifting my weight uneasily. Weyoun turned around and greeted me with what appeared to be a warm smile, but I was beginning to see that there was more to this man than what met the eye. "Oh, where are my manners, please, come in. Come sit." He gestured to the chair in the center of the room.

"Okay," I murmured, and made my way over to the chair.

"Now, I'm just going to go over your basic itinerary for the next few weeks. Just so you're comfortable." The way he said comfortable made my skin crawl. Somehow I just knew that I would not have a pleasant experience on Cardassia Prime.

"Once we arrive, you'll be taken and processed, they'll sample your DNA, take one of your teeth, verify your general mental and physical health."

"One of my teeth?" I repeated, then clasped my hands across my mouth.

"It has to be done. You know, for the Cardassians. Now, the Founders trust that you will not betray us, but the Cardassians, they're less trusting. And who can blame them?" Weyoun explained, acting as though he understood the fear I was sure he could see in my eyes. I nodded, more out of defeat than agreement.

"What happens then?" I asked, my voice shaking.

"You'll be briefed completely on your mission, and you'll be trained on a few key elements of your mission. And, in a week or two, when we are sure that you understand everything you'll need to in order to successfully carry out this mission."

"And what if I fail?" I asked. This was the sentence I was most afraid to utter. Weyoun's gaze was suddenly fierce, and a frown marred his face.

"If you fail, the Founders will surely punish you severely." His expression returned to one of neutrality, a small smile pulling up the corners of his lips. "But we won't have to worry about that, now, will we?"

_I hope not,_ I thought, and shook my head. Weyoun came closer to where I was seated and knelt down in front of me. He put his hand on my shoulder and made that terrible eye-contact. "I understand that this has been difficult for you, Miss Grissom, I really do. And I want you to know that the Dominion really does value your cooperation. If there is anything we can do for you, please, be sure to bring it to our attention and we will be sure to try to fulfill your requests," he said, being careful to enunciate each word.

"Um, thank you," I said. Weyoun stood up and offered me his hand to me. It took a moment to register that he wanted me to stand up. I accepted his help and stood.

"We should be arriving at Cardassia Prime within the next few hours. I do hope you will understand and comply with our wishes that you remain in your quarters until we arrive." I nodded solemnly. "Good, good. And remember, if you need anything, anything at all, do not hesitate to ask the guard stationed outside your quarters. All right?" I nodded again, and before I could protest, I was whisked away by a Jem'Hadar and dropped off at the door to the room I shared with Brendan.

I cringed as I opened the door. I was startled by the darkness I was greeted by, but before I could order the computer to turn on the lights, I was grabbed and pulled into the black. "What exactly do you think you're doing?" a gruff voice, Brendan's, asked.

"Trying to survive," I replied, trying to wrench myself away from his grasp. He apparently didn't like this answer, as he pulled me closer to him, snaking his other arm around behind my head and pulling me. Our faces were close enough that our noses touched, and I couldn't see him in the dark.

"They are the _enemy_, Delia." I struggled. "And now it would seem that _you_ are the enemy." I managed to free one of my hands and slapped him, the sound of my hand making contact with his skin echoing through the dark room. He caught my hand too late, and twisted it behind my back. I howled in pain.

"You want to know suffering, Delia? You little girl, you think you're a martyr? You know what happened to my mother?" I shook my head. "No one does. She was on one of the ships that disappeared in the Gamma Quadrant. These- these _animals_ killed her!"

"I'm so sorry, Brendan, I didn't know-"

"Of course you didn't, Delia, your life's so _perfect_," he spat, "your family's safe. You've always had both your parents. And you're so willing to just endanger them like this? Are you thinking you can just get to DS9 and tell Captain Sisko what's going on? Because the Dominion will protect against that. You'll get an implant in your head and if you even _think_ about revealing the fact that you're a spy, you'll die. I bet you didn't prepare for that!"

He pulled me along and threw me down on the bed. I scrambled to crawl across it, putting as much space between myself and him. Something wasn't right. I'd never seen him so militant, so angry and physical. He grabbed my ankle and pulled me back, pinning me below him, his hands on my wrists so that I couldn't move. "Brendan, what are you doing?" I asked.

"Well, if you're going to be so quick to succumb to the will of others, I may as well cash in."

"Brendan, what are-"

"Don't play innocent, Delia. You drove me to this." I felt his breath on my neck, followed by his lips, his tongue.

"Brendan, don't do this," I begged, my mind racing, "you're better than your Cardassian genes, please don't do this!"

"Oh, but Delia, Cardassian I am," he replied, unzipping the front of my uniform shirt as he shifted my arms above my head, holding them both down with one hand. I was simply astonished by his strength. When I'd seen him the previous day, beaten and battered as he'd been, I wouldn't have thought that he would have the muscle mass required to hold me so completely against my will.

"This is what my race does, isn't it?" he demanded, his voice growing louder and louder. I struggled against him, begging and pleading for him not to do what I could tell he was about to. He slapped me, choked me. I eventually stopped fighting it, and instead retreated into a place in my brain where it was almost as though I could see what was happening to my body from the outside.

Even then, I couldn't completely escape the scene of my own rape.

When we arrived on Cardassia Prime, I avoided Brendan as much as was possible when the Jem'Hadar and Weyoun tried very hard to keep us together, presumably to make it easier to kill us should we try to escape. We were brought to a building which must have housed the Cardassian Central Command. It all looked very official, the architecture just screamed "Government!" in my opinion.

Though I wasn't restrained in any way, I felt as though I were shackled and chained, being taken to my own execution. I figured that they probably felt that, because I was willingly going to be an informant, I was no longer a flight risk. Brendan, on the other hand, who was looking more and more like a full-blooded Cardassian by the minute, was shackled, chained, and, at the request of Weyoun when he wouldn't stop hollering that I was a traitor and that he was going to kill us all, gagged.

We were led into a central chamber of the building where we would meet evil incarnate. I could taste the bile my stomach was spitting as Gul Dukat himself turned around to greet us.

"Well, well, well, if I had to guess, I'd say that neither of you are over the age of 21. Good job, Weyoun, we tell you to bring back officers and you snatch them up from the school yard!"

"I followed the Founders' orders, not yours, Dukat," Weyoun spat, "Besides, young minds are easier to mold. And it's not exactly as though your son was the captain of a starship." I heard a confused sound escape Brendan. I sniffed. _His problems aren't my problems anymore,_ I thought, _Soon they'll separate us and I'll be able to put him out of my mind for good. _

"Well, may I ask why exactly he's bound and gagged like a prisoner? It was my understanding that he was to be treated like what he is, like the son of the most powerful Cardassian alive!"

"Brendan's your son?" I blurted. Everyone in the room looked at me.

Dukat walked around the desk he stood behind and glared down at me. It was frightening just how intimidating he was in person. I stepped back, cowering. He laughed, "Weyoun, don't tell me _this_ is going to be your informant on _Deep Space Nine,_" he spat the words as though they left a bad taste in his mouth, "She's hardly even a woman. They'll crack her without any complication."

"The Founder gave me very specific instructions and criteria. She's non-threatening, and it will work to our advantage. When she's found, adrift in space, they won't think twice about whether or not she was planted out there for them to find. And since she was already destined to be on Deep Space Nine, it's all the more likely for her to remain there!"

Dukat walked over to Brendan and removed the gag. "How does it feel to be back on Cardassia Prime, my son?" he asked. Brendan stood there, staring at him, mouth hanging open.

"There's no way, it's not possible, I don't believe it. You're not my father. My mother always said that my father was a good man who opposed the occupation on Bajor, and that he had been-"

"Ah, yes, and it is impossible for people to make up stories in order to avoid the uncomfortable truth, isn't it?" Dukat smiled an evil smile. Brendan snarled.

"It can't be true!" he screamed. Dukat's smile turned vicious, and his hand connected with Brendan's face with an ear-splitting smack.

"I will have none of this. You will be held here, in the city, until you have come to terms with the inescapable fact that you and I are family, and your mother was merely an... innocent... who got caught up in the Cardassian Occupation of Bajor."

"When were humans ever involved in the occupation, Dukat?" I hissed, my voice escaping me before I could stop myself. His fierce gaze turned back to me, eyes sparkling.

"I can see why you chose her, Weyoun. She may look small and pathetic, but she sure does have some fight to her." He leaned back against the desk and eyed me, thoughtfully. "No, I suppose that wouldn't be something they teach in your Federation schools, would it? The failed 'liberation force' of less than ten ships. We squashed them like bugs. Only a few survived. Gina Tarr was one of the lucky survivors. I kept her on as my personal slave for more than four years. I can only guess that she was smuggled off the planet by one of the underground resistance cells. I didn't find out about you until years later, on a visit to Cardassia Prime. There she was, arguing with a _legate_, no less, over the alleged crimes we had committed, I had committed, against her while she was in my care. She had with her a small boy. A rather handsome lad, aside from a few unfortunate _human_ features." He spat the word human as though it left a sour taste in his mouth.

"You're lying," Brendan said, holding his head high. Gul Dukat sighed as his gaze shifted back to Brendan.

"In time, you will find you know it to be true."

He paced back around behind the desk. "Even if you don't believe me, if you never believe me, I will never allow any son of mine to serve the Federation, especially beneath Benjamin Sisko."


	3. Part Three  Broken

Author's Note: In response to that review that noted my little shout-outs to CSI in this story, I would like to clear up that Gilly the cat's actual name is Gilligan, which is the name of one of my real life cats, who this cat is based off of. She's quite literally meant to be Delia Grissom's "little buddy," which was Gilligan's nickname from the Skipper in Gilligan's Isle. I didn't even draw the connection between Gil Grissom and the names used in this story until you mentioned that. Haha. On to Part 3

Three – Broken

Training to be a spy for the Dominion was nothing I could have prepared for. Just hours after arriving on Cardassia Prime I was led off by a pair of armed Cardassians, trailed by a pair of armed Jem'Hadar, and brought to what I assume would be considered an infirmary. They took one of my wisdom teeth without giving me anesthesia, and gave me a general physical: drawing blood, taking my reflexes, and generally assessing my health. I must have been deemed healthy, as I was released into the waiting hands of the same four soldiers of the Dominion, and made to enter a sensory deprivation chamber. It was like sitting in a vacuum. Except for the sliver of yellow light that would appear twice daily when I was allowed food, I was kept in complete darkness. Complete silence. Everything was hard, cold metal.

The only image I could conjure in my brain for the first day of it was Gul Dukat's face on the monitor hanging on the wall opposite the door to this room. He wore a grin that was intense and evil. It was as though he'd been staring straight into my soul. I sat, leaning against one of the walls, humming, just so I could hear something, anything. Just to prove that I wasn't dead.

Though it was dark and silent in that room, I could not sleep. I became very paranoid. I was sure that I was being watched, even though I knew it couldn't be possible, not in that intense darkness. Nevertheless, I stayed as still as I could, suspiciously eyeing the darkness that surrounded me.

I began to see things in the darkness. Faces, creatures, random colors swirling around my head. I started to think that someone was listening, if nothing else. They wanted me to crack and spill Starfleet secrets, I was sure of it. "You won't break me!" I called, my voice echoing dully back at me. It occurred to me that the walls may have been padded further up to prevent echoing, to prevent oral stimulation. "You can keep me in here for a year, I'll never talk!" _But I'll probably go crazy. How long have I been in here? Two hours? Ten?_ I thought.

I tried, I really did, to identify the food they gave me the first few meals. It was tasteless, the texture was similar to that of mashed potatoes, and the smell of it almost perfectly matched the scent of freshly cleaned uniforms. It wasn't the slightest bit appealing. Nor was the idea that I would have to inch my way around the room to find the toilet once I realized, horrified, that first time, that I had to pee.

I must have fallen asleep at some point, curled up against the toilet. Just the knowledge that there was something else there, something in that room with me, gave me a small measure of comfort. I had no idea how long I would be in there. I had no way of measuring time. There didn't even seem to be a set time for them to bring me food.

After four meals had passed, I began to lose it. "Hello?" I asked, "I know someone's listening. That's why I'm in here, right? You want me to crack and tell you all of the Federation's secrets, right? Well it's not gonna work. I don't know any secrets. Hello? I was just supposed to be a security officer on DS9." And after six meals, I began to beg.

"This is inhumane! You're treating me like a criminal and I've done nothing wrong! Let me out of here! _Please_!" I cried, I pounded on the walls, the floor.

After nine meals had been shoved through that little slot in what must have been the bottom of the door, I curled up in the fetal position, refusing to play the game anymore. My brain was playing terrible tricks on me. I was hallucinating. I began to cry. "You don't even want me as a spy, do you? You just want to watch me suffer, don't you?" I demanded of nothing, nobody.

Twelve meals were passed through the slot in the door before the door opened quite suddenly, spilling harsh white light into the tiny room. I screamed, the light hurt my eyes so bad. I was taken quite roughly from my spot on the floor, shoved along through a long, narrow corridor. I was taken to another room, this one with a view, albeit a rather unpleasant one, of the outside. I didn't learn this, however for quite a few hours, as I huddled on the floor, shielding my eyes and ears from the bright light and deafening ambient noise.

Once I had become somewhat used to a normal level of light and sound again, I cautiously surveyed my surroundings. There was a bed, a replicator, and a small cat sleeping in a chair near the door. I breathed a sigh of relief, at least it seemed they knew how to treat some creatures with respect on this planet.

The door whooshed open and Weyoun stormed in. When he saw me he put on an expression that I'm sure was supposed to exude worry, and in an apologetic tone, he said, "Oh Delia, I'm _so_ sorry for what you were put through! I had assurances that you were not to be treated badly. Please do understand that the Dominion does not condone the actions that have been taken against you." I stared at him, blankly. He looked at me expectantly. "I understand, after such a long period of complete isolation, it must be difficult for you to understand what I'm saying."

"What did I do to deserve this?" I muttered. My thoughts turned to my parents, not for the first time since I'd been captured. What had they been told? Did they know I was alive? Did anyone beyond this planet know I was alive?

"I can assure you, this was in no way caused by any of your actions. You have been nothing but cooperative since the day I first questioned you. It was a mix up, and the Cardassian who caused it to happen has been punished. Severely."

I wanted very much to cry, but as hard as I tried to, it didn't seem that my brain remembered how to. I felt strangely grateful for that fact. Crying was, after all, a show of weakness, and I was learning quickly that showing one's weakness was not something that was rewarded in the Dominion. I decided to focus my energies on getting away from Cardassia Prime as quickly as possible.

"Now, I hate to do this to you so soon after such a terrible ordeal, but we really must fit you for a monitoring chip as quickly as possible, so that you have time to get used to it before we send you back to your Federation space."

"Monitoring chip?" I echoed his words. He reached out his hand and gently, ever so gently, touched my left temple with his fingers.

"Nothing to worry about, really. It's a microchip we will place here," he moved his fingers across my skin, "to ensure that you do not do anything which may... complicate... your mission. As long as you do not reveal anything about what we tell you here, it will do nothing. But the moment you try to tell someone about your mission or about any plans we have, it will release a deadly toxin into your bloodstream. I've heard it is a very unpleasant death." I shuddered at the thought.

"Think of it as a failsafe. If you're caught and you are forced to give up important information, it gives the Dominion a safety net. You wouldn't have time to tell the Federation anything of any value before you succumb to the toxin's effects."

"Good to know," I replied. I sighed and ran a hand through, rather, over, my matted, greasy hair. "Any chance I could have a shower before we do this? It doesn't matter, really, but I don't know how long it's been since I've showered, I don't even know if my hair will ever come untangled, and... and..." I stopped and looked Weyoun in the eye, "and I don't know _why_ I'm telling you this."

Weyoun laughed a small sort of laugh and nodded. "Yes, I do believe it would be all right for you to freshen up. I'm sure a change of clothing would be a welcome comfort, hm? I'll make sure that there's a fresh change of clothes waiting for you when you get out. When you are ready to get your implant, just call myself or Gul Dukat on the communicator on the wall by the door, okay?"

I nodded. His subsequent smile almost put me at ease. There was something about him, even though I knew, deep down, that he couldn't be trusted. It was hard to keep my guard up. _ I'm just weak minded from the isolation, that's got to be it, _I thought as I watched him turn and leave.

Once I was sure that he was gone, I walked into the bathroom and made sure to lock the door behind me. Even though I was sure that anyone else in the building, or on the planet, for that matter, could probably easily unlock the door, it made me feel better that the door was locked, if simply for the idea that it could be locked.

I peeled my poor, beat up, filthy Starfleet uniform, and turned on the sonic shower. As I moved to step in, I caught a glance of a vicious sneer in the mirror. It took a moment to realize that it was my own face I was seeing. I had lost weight, that was for sure. My eyes looked dull and lifeless. My lips seemed permanently curled in a soundless snarl. The fact that my hair was wild didn't help matters. I decided that I would have to find out if the replicator would work to give me a proper electric razor so I could shave my head.

As I stood in the shower, my mind wandered back to history classes at the Academy, when we learned about Earth's history. One event in the 20th century came to mind. The way things were going, I would look like the pictures we'd seen of the victims of the Holocaust before I finally made it to DS9. And then, who knows if Captain Sisko would even want there?

I stood in the shower for an incredibly long time, just enjoying the fact that I was finally getting all the sweat and dirt off my skin. It felt good to finally get clean, even if I didn't feel clean. I began to wonder if the sour taste of betrayal would ever leave my lips.

When I finally did leave the shower, I wrapped myself in a towel, pressed my ear to the door, and listened. Once I was certain there was no one in the other room, I unlocked and opened the door. I looked around the room, peeking around the side of the door. Empty. I noticed a package on the bed; a lumpy sort of thing wrapped in tissue paper. I slunk up to the bed to investigate, and Gilly did the same, approaching the package cautiously, and then suddenly pouncing on it, chasing the crinkle-noises that the paper made.

I couldn't help but smile, and gently lifted her off of the package. "I'll let you play with the paper in a minute, Gil, hold on." She whined her protest. I chuckled and peeled the paper away from what it covered, and gasped. What was there, laying on my bed, was a simply beautiful dress. I lifted it up and held it in front of me, admiring the tailor work of it. It was a pale sort of mustard yellow, and looked as though it would fall just below my knee. It was long-sleeved, but made of a thin, airy material. There was also a pair of shoes that matched the dress' color perfectly.

As I slipped the dress on, I noticed a crumpled piece of paper fall out of one of the sleeves. I leaned over and picked it up. Straightening it out, I noticed that it had writing on it, 'Sorry, Dukat.' I raised an eyebrow. Part of me wanted to rip the dress off and put back on the uniform I'd been wearing since I'd left Earth, but part of me knew that it would be a stupid, pointless thing to do. I slipped on the shoes and, for a split second, wondered how they knew what size to give me. And then I remembered the whole ordeal prior to the worst experience of my life so far. They probably knew my body better than I did at that point.

I walked over to the replicator and said, "Raktajino." A few seconds later, there was a steaming cup of Klingon coffee waiting there for me. I took it from the replicator and sipped it slowly. It felt great to actually taste something again. Gilly twirled around my legs, mewling softly. I turned back to the replicator and said, "Bowl of cow's milk, warm," placing the replicated bowl of milk on the floor for the silly kitty.

I turned my attention to the windows that lined the far wall of the room. Cardassia Prime was not a nice planet to look at. The air outside looked thick enough that you could swim through it. The sky looked grungy. The buildings almost seemed to have a layer of filth on them. I couldn't wait to get off that rock.

I knew I should be tired. I knew theres should have been no way I was walking around, not after being held in such a small, stressful environment for so long. But more than anything, I was restless.

Once I was halfway done with my coffee, and thoroughly sick of looking out the window, I crossed the room and hit the communicator that was hanging on the wall. It reminded me of the communication system on Captain Kirk's Enterprise.

"Yes?" a bored sounding Cardassian's voice came across the speaker. I cleared my throat and said, "I was told to contact Weyoun or Gul Dukat on this communicator?" I said as confidently as I could.

"They're busy. You'll have to wait." The transmission abruptly ended. I stood there, confused, for a moment, and then hit the button again.

"What is it that you want?" that same bored Cardassian voice asked.

"You need to put me through to Weyoun or Gul Dukat _now_. Because I'm sure that the Federation would not like to hear that you put an innocent young Starfleet officer through living hell for no reason, and believe me, if I am not put through to one of the two men I have been told to contact _right away,_ I will not keep my mouth shut. So, unless you want to be charged with war crimes, sir, you'll put me through. Now."

A few moments passed, and another, much more familiar, but equally bored and annoyed sounding Cardassian voice came across the communicator. "What is it?" Gul Dukat asked.

"I was told to speak to you about getting a monitoring chip installed in my skull," I answered.

"I'll arrange for you to be seen in one of the medical bays as soon as possible," he said, his voice dull, "I trust you received my package?"

"Well, yes," I replied. Silence.

"Do you like it?" he asked. From the tone of his voice, the question sounded forced.

"I suppose it's better than running around nude," I said. The Gul's voice turned vicious.

"You will be escorted to a medical bay shortly."

The communication ended abruptly. I couldn't conceal the grin that had found its way onto my face.

Hours later, I left the medical bay I was seen in, my head swimming, the hallway in front of me jerking around in unpleasant ways. I was relieved that I was only being escorted by one man now instead of four, and he didn't keep his weapon drawn the whole time. _Maybe that whole thing really was a big SNAFU... _I thought, _or maybe they've realized that I really don't have any choice in this anymore. _

As we drew nearer and nearer to my quarters, I got the distinct feeling that I was being followed. But when I turned around to look, there was no one there. Yet the feeling remained.

"Don't worry, the feeling will pass. It is one of many unfortunate side effects of the monitoring chip," a voice, Weyoun's voice, suddenly echoed through my head. I stopped dead in my tracks.

_Only crazy people hear voices,_ I thought, _you're going crazy, Delia._ The Cardassian assigned to escort me stopped and turned around, looking at me strangely. I shook my head and continued walking.

"Get used to it, because the majority of all communications between the you and the Dominion will now occur through this chip. We see everything that you see," Weyoun's voice played through my head again. I shook my head fiercely.

I was glad to get back into my quarters. I flopped down on the bed, it was the most comfortable thing I'd laid on in a long time. But I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being followed, that I was being watched. It was very disconcerting.

"The feeling should pass in about 36 hours. And around that time we will get you back on track to DS9."

"What am I supposed to do until then? Just ignore the fact that I feel like I'm going insane because I'm hearing voices in my head?" I asked aloud.

"Generally that's not something that one simply announces to the universe," a voice, this one not in my head, interjected. I sat up and looked around, my eyes coming to rest on Brendan Tarr, who was looking much more like his old self. I stood up and snarled.

"Get out of my quarters. You honestly think I want anything to do with you after- after what you did to me? GET OUT! GO!"

He took a step closer, grinning in such a way that, for a moment, I mistook him for Gul Dukat. "That is actually why I am here. I came to apologize. I understand, now, what it feels like to be able to betray that which I've always felt loyal to without a second thought."

"What?"

"I've joined the Dominion."


	4. Part Four:  Grissom  Delia Grissom

Author's Note: Gee, I'm starting to get bored of writing these at the beginning of each chapter. Are you getting sick of reading them? Thank you again for all the wonderful and kind reviews. Words cannot describe how much it means to me for people to react to my work, in a good or bad way.

This chapter is where the story begins to actually sync up with the series. Episode 05x25 (In the Cards) is approximately where miss Grissom enters the mix.

Also, a question, in case I've been fudging the facts this whole time. What episode does Sisko become a Captain in? I can't seem to find it by skimming my seasons...

Four – Grissom. Delia Grissom

"What?" I asked, stunned.

"You didn't know? Oh how _fun_!" Weyoun's voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Dukat's right. What did I ever hope to accomplish serving under a human? The Federation will lose this war. I just picked the winning side."

I shook my head, my confusion fast becoming anger. "Spoken like a true Cardassian. So why didn't you keep your newfound Cardassian features? It's kind of foolish to join _the winning side_," I rolled my eyes as I said those last three words, "and not at least _try_ to look like everyone else. And anyway, weren't you the one that warned me about what the Federation does to traitors? You'll spend the rest of your life in a brig."

Brendan laughed a deep, throaty laugh. "You don't get it, do you? I'm not flat out betraying my colleagues by _spying_," he took a few steps closer to me, so that his chest was inches from mine. I sneered. "I must say, I didn't believe that you would be any good as a spy at first. You were too... _good_. But just from seeing how your face, your eyes, have hardened here on Cardassia... I can see why Weyoun puts such trust in you."

_What about your _mother,_ Brendan? Or have you forgotten that she died in the Gamma Quadrant at the hands of your new-found allies?_ I thought viciously.

"Well, I must admit I'm glad," I said, finding the perfect words to make my point clear.

"I knew you'd come around, Delia."

"No, I'm glad that your mother isn't still alive to see this. It'd break her poor, sweet heart to see her son abandon his dream of studying at Starfleet Medical and one day becoming the best doctor in the Alpha Quadrant."

I could see the anger building behind his piercing blue eyes. He raised an arm to slap me, I ducked, and punched him as hard as I could in the chest. He snatched my hand and wrenched it around behind my back, jerking me around. He pushed me into the bathroom, to the mirror above the sink, and hissed, "Look at yourself. You've reduced yourself to making rude comments about other people's dead parents. You ought to just join the Dominion, forget the Federation."

I struggled against his grip. "I'll _never_ join you. I'll clue you in, since you seem to have forgotten. The Dominion will use you, and then throw you out the airlock at your first show of weakness." I clawed and bit, hissed and scratched at him.

"And you don't believe that the same applies to you? Sure, you're serving a purpose now, but how do you know we won't win the war and then just decide to throw the kill switch on your little microchip?" He pulled the makeshift dreadlocks that had formed in my hair to one side and caressed my neck with his fingers. His touch made my blood go cold. I twisted away from him, finally clawing my hand free of his grasp.

"Get out," I snarled. "If you ever touch me again I'll snap you like a twig." He stepped closer to me as I backed away.

"I'd like to see you try," he challenged. I bolted out of the bathroom and grabbed the first solid thing I could find: the chair by my replicator. I whipped it around and swiped at him. "Good, I like a challenge!" he hollered, dodging left, grabbing for me. I swung the chair as hard as I could, connecting with the side of his head. He faltered, but continued to come at me.

_It sure would be nice to have some help, here, y'know, a Jem'Hadar... _I thought, directing the thought straight at Weyoun, praying he was still listening.

"My apologies, Delia, but I can't just order an attack on a member of the Dominion."

Brendan knocked the chair out of my grasp and I screamed.

For the second time since leaving Earth, I focused desperately on leaving my body. On childhood memories, the beach in southern California with my father.

~It was a very different experience, seeing the world through a human's eyes. Everything was so much sharper, the sensations so intense. Weyoun thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The fear he could feel in her, the rapid heart beat. Even the pain.

Gul Dukat found the entire experience fully boring. "She doesn't fight back, she can't even protect herself from a half-human. She will fail spectacularly."

"Maybe that's the idea," another said from behind him. Weyoun turned around and bowed, kneeling down.

"Ah, Founder, you grace us with your presence," he breathed. The female Founder stepped forward and looked up at the monitor on which the Federation girl's monitor chip displayed everything she saw, thought and felt.

"She'll serve her purpose. And, if this is any indication, she'll rid us of herself quite easily once she's no longer of any use to us."

"The Founder is wise in all things," Gul Dukat said, obviously stealing what Weyoun had intended to say.~

I curled up in the fetal position in the thin space between the bed and the wall. Brendan had done what he'd come to do, but I hadn't given up without a fight. My face and chest were covered with dark purple-blue blood, which made me wonder if Cardassian and Human were the only two species he was part of.

I ignored the door chime when it went off, ignored Weyoun when he entered the room, and ignored whatever words it was that he was saying. My head was swimming, and I slowly just let myself drift off. For the second time since arriving on Cardassia, I threw in the towel. Yet again, my suspicions that the Dominion couldn't be trusted were proven correct.

My last day on Cardassia was spent in a large room, at the center of which was a long table with many chairs surrounding it. On one end of the table sat Weyoun, Gul Dukat, and a Founder. Behind them stood a small amount of Jem'Hadar, no doubt to protect the Founder, should I decide to attempt to attack it.

At the other end of the table, I sat in a tall, hard chair that was definitely not designed for comfort, and I entertained the notion that it had been specifically created for interrogations. I wore my Starfleet uniform once more; I'd spent much of the morning attempting to clean it in the sonic shower to no avail. It could still practically stand up on its own, which made it endlessly uncomfortable to wear. But I would accept no more gifts from the Dominion, especially not from the Cardassians.

"We've seen how you handle stressful, dangerous situations, and we believe you will be able to handle your mission quite successfully," said the Founder. Gul Dukat loudly cleared his throat. Weyoun shot him a look that made me shiver. "As that is the case, we will now brief you, and in the morning, you will be sent out to fulfill your mission." The three of them all looked at me, and I wasn't sure if it was the monitor chip, or just instinctual, I felt a chill run down my spine.

"I understand. Thank you, Founder. Weyoun, Gul Dukat," I added the other two to the end of my statement as more of an afterthought than anything. Dukat stood up and walked to the wall directly to my left and pulled up an image of DS9 on a large view screen. In Cardassian, or possibly Dominionese, some bullet points popped up, pointing to various spots on the station. I wasn't sure why, but I could understand what was written.

One pointed to Captain Sisko's private quarters, another to Ops. "This," Dukat said, pointing to Ops, "is where you must get yourself stationed. At all costs. If we are to benefit at all from the information you'll collect, it must come from this room, or it is pointless."

Weyoun stood, and Dukat sat down. "The information we need you to collect is very simple. We need to know any and all attacks they plan, how many ships, how much manpower, what weapons they plan to use. With your help, we will be able to win this war." I shuddered as the words he said echoed through my brain. It was not an entirely unpleasant sensation. I nodded.

"But," I asked, "how do you know things will escalate to war?" Weyoun looked at me, curiously.

"Conflicts of this nature rarely turn out peacefully. A war is simply the natural next step to take, Now, the most important thing you must remember, is no matter what you are asked, no matter how tempting it may be, you cannot tell Starfleet anything about what has occurred while you have been in our custody. You do not know if any of your fellow crewmen survived, and you do not remember anything from staying on Cardassia. Is that clear?" Weyoun asked, his tone dead serious.

I nodded, "I won't reveal anything to anybody unless I'm told I can," I replied. I thought for a moment, and stopped, afraid to ask. But I had to know. "On the ship, before I agreed to do this, I... inquired about the safety of my family. My parents won't be harmed, right?"

Before Weyoun could jump to appease me, the Founder stood and walked down to the end of the table where I sat. She looked me over, studying me closely. "As long as you do not fail in your mission, your family will be safe from harm." I breathed a sigh of relief and bowed my head.

"Thank you, Founder. Thank you very much."

The entire briefing took just over six hours; I was shown detailed schematics of the space station, and given explicit instructions regarding various situations that could arise. Once the Founder and Weyoun were satisfied that I had adsorbed all of what they were telling me, I was allowed to go back to my quarters to prepare for what lay ahead of me.

"You will be injured prior to your 'escape,'"Weyoun had told me as he'd escorted me personally back to my quarters, "we will send someone along to do the job around dawn. We regret that you will be put through what may seem like simply more torture, but it is for the best. If we want Sisko to _believe_ our little charade, we must make it seem believable. You understand?"

I stopped and turned to face him. "I understand. But may I make a request?" Weyoun nodded. "Can you send any other possible assailant but Brendan Tarr?"

Weyoun laughed. "You know, I'm really beginning to like you. For your sake, I hope you don't fail."

In my quarters, I gave Gilly a small saucer of milk, and sat by the window, watching the sun set over the city. The pollution in the air made the colors just spectacular. I wished I had someone to share the moment with. First I thought of my father, the engineer who loved painting. He'd have loved that sunset. My mother, the botanist, would have sat and lectured about the dangers of pollution.

My thoughts kept creeping back to Weyoun. I'd shake my head. _I'll be glad when I'm back around Starfleet Officers. At least I know I can trust them, _I thought. _Sure would like to know Weyoun a little better though- stop it. He's the enemy. _I'd go back and forward in my mind. Whether I liked it or not, that Vorta was growing on me. And what was worse, he could see the entire internal conflict, the agony I felt over the entire situation.

I dimmed the lights and crawled onto the bed, laying next to Gilly, who had curled up on my pillow. "We're going home tomorrow, Doo," I cooed, calling the cat by one of the many nicknames she'd picked up. Officially, her name was Gilligan. But she didn't come to Gilligan, so I shortened it to Gilly, and sometimes even Gil. My dad had a tendency to call her 'Doo,' which I found odd, but fitting.

She purred, and awkwardly arched her back to meet with my hand as I petted her. My mind wandered back to what Weyoun had mentioned in the hall. Someone would be coming before dawn to injure me. I began to wonder just what that would entail. A broken arm? Broken ribs? A concussion? I could almost feel the pain already, and hoped that Dr. Bashir would be ready for me when I arrived on Deep Space Nine.

I woke just as the sun rose to an immense amount of pain. Someone was twisting my arm behind me, hard, farther than my arm should have gone. I hollered as a terrible snap caused a surge of white-hot pain to travel the length of my body. I was wrenched out of the bed and thrown onto the floor. A few pairs of feet kicked me in the face, in my ribs. Hot tears streamed down my face as I was hauled to my feet. I heard Gilly hiss and spit, and I guessed that someone had picked her up, too. I was dragged down an endless series of hallways and into a turbolift, before being shoved into the cramped cockpit of a heavily damaged runabout. Someone's hands laid in a course to Deep Space Nine, and I felt the ship begin to move.

The next thing I knew, I was in the infirmary, being stared at intensely by a group of people I had seen in pictures and holonews, but never met before.

"Captain... Sisko...?" I asked, confused. One of the people who stared at me nodded, slowly. I glanced around, the others were as familiar to me as Sisko was, but I could not for the life of me remember their names.

"Lieutenant Jadzia Dax, Major Kira Nerys, Doctor Julian Bashir, and Odo," a voice, a familiar voice, echoed through my brain. It took me a moment to realize I was still hearing Weyoun, despite being so far away.

"Where am I?" I asked weakly.

"It may take some time for her to remember things, but I expect she will make a full recovery. I must say it is incredible that there were any survivors. The Dominion isn't known for mercy," one of them, the Doctor, I assumed, said, addressing the others more than myself.

"I made it?" I whispered, my voice hardly audible. A horrible, stabbing pain shot up my leg. I winced, tears streaking my face.

"Welcome to Deep Space Nine, Crewman Grissom," Sisko said with a small smile. I couldn't stop the smile that spread wide across my face. Sisko's smile widened, revealing his beautifully white teeth, and the others that stood with him each smiled as well.

"Thank you," I whispered, my words cut short by a heavy, racking cough that rattled my body. I lurched forward, involuntarily sitting up, and then doubling over in pain. Dr. Bashir gently pushed me back to a reclined position and scanned me with a medical tricorder. He then went out of my view and grabbed a hypospray, which he then pressed to my neck.

Shortly after that, the sensation in my chest that were causing me to cough lessened, and the pain from my lower chest to my toes diminished. I closed my eyes and breathed hard. "You've got three broken ribs and a broken ankle. I've repaired and set your broken arm and fingers, but there's not very much I can do for the ribs. You'll need to rest," Dr. Julian Bashir said to me.

"Keep her here as long as is necessary, her post will still be ready and waiting for her tomorrow or next week. Whatever it takes, Doctor," Sisko said, quietly, just out of my field of vision. Major Kira Nerys and Lieutenant Jadzia Dax leaned down closer to me.

"Your parents are on their way here to see you, Delia," Kira told me, her smile making her eyes sparkle. Jadzia put a hand on my shoulder.

"Your bravery is commendable. You're the only survivor we've seen since the _Reunion_ was destroyed."

I had mixed feelings about my parents coming to the station. I had hoped, before I'd left Earth, that I could bring them to visit once I'd had a promotion, or for something good, not to see their daughter laid out in the infirmary.

_What do I tell them?_ I asked myself, _I was missing for so long, and I can't even say anything about what happened. _

"Tell them what they want to hear. Everyone believes that your bravery pulled you through, so make something up. Your runabout did destroy two Jem'Hadar ships on your way back to the station. They were unmanned, of course, but nobody needs to know that," Weyoun replied nonchalantly. His voice sounded bored in my head.

_I'm sorry, am I boring you? _I thought, rolling my eyes. Eventually, the senior officers who'd come to visit me as I'd regained consciousness left, leaving me alone with Julian Bashir and my own thoughts.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but what was it like, being held captive on Cardassia?" Bashir asked, as he adjusted something on the panel connected to my bed. I groaned.

"Unpleasant," I replied, "and terrifying." Bashir chuckled lightly.

"Well I suppose it wouldn't be sunshine and rainbows," he said. I shook my head, laughing a small laugh.

I drifted off to sleep, the medical bed I was comparable to a rock as far as comfort went, but I slept as though I was on my old bed back home on Earth.

A few days later, I was allowed to leave the Infirmary, and given my own quarters in the habitat ring. My mother had arrived the same day I was found drifting through space, the life support on the runabout I'd been supplied with apparently failing. My father was due to arrive that afternoon.

I was so glad when I could cross the promenade to Quark's and hug my mom from behind. "Mommy!" I cried, holding her tight. My ribs were still tender, but no where near as painful as they'd been a few days before.

"Oh Delia, you're up and about already?" she asked as I sat next to her. She looked so different from how I remember her, new wrinkles across her brow, her hair much more gray than I remembered. It took me a moment to realize that I was probably responsible, that my captivity was responsible. I was terrified to see what the stress had done to my mother.

"What can I say, Dr. Bashir is a miracle worker," I replied. The Ferengi behind the bar, Quark, turned around to face us.

"Ah, so you're that hu-man the station's in such an uproar over?" he asked. I shrugged and nodded. "I suppose you think you're entitled to a free drink then, hm?" his tone changed, darkened somehow. I shook my head. "Good, because you aren't getting one."

"You must be Quark, we were warned about you at the Academy," I replied. The Ferengi glared at me.

"Warned you about _what_, exactly?" he asked. I grinned a small, sly grin.

"Your prices are set higher than anyone else in the same market. And you'll try to swindle us out of our money."

Quark made a high pitched noise, jumping back, holding his hand to his chest, a full movement that said, who, me? "Now those are vicious rumors and I demand to know who was spreading them." My mom and I shared a quiet giggle. "I'm a businessman, I'll make you a deal. I'll give you a free drink and meal of your choice, for information about who is spreading such lies about me at Starfleet Academy."

"I'll take a synthale and a grilled cheese sandwich," I replied, unable to keep the grin from my face. My first official duty shift didn't begin until 1600 hours, and I felt like leading someone along for a while.

After breakfast, I sat in my quarters with my mom, cradling Gilly in my lap. She was also making a full recovery from the broken leg I suspected she suffered when I was attacked shortly before leaving Cardassia.

"You have no idea how good it is to see you safe now, Delia. We were told you were dead." My mother, a tired looking woman with silvery-green eyes and more gray hair than the blond-brown she'd passed to me, said as she sat on the standard couch that lined the wall below the windows on the one side of my quarters. I cuddled Gilly before setting her down between us.

"I didn't think I would escape. It was awful..." I let my voice trail off, lest my tongue lead me down a path I didn't particularly want to follow. I ran my hand over the smooth skin of my freshly-shaved head. It was the first thing I'd asked for, once the pain medications had worn off in the Infirmary. One of Bashir's nurses had been more than happy to help me rid myself of the awkward dreadlocks that had taken over my head.

"It's harsh," my mom said, and I assumed she meant my lack of hair. I shook my head.

"It's liberating," I corrected her, "and besides, it'll grow back." The door chimed, signaling that someone was outside my door. "Come in!" I called. In walked the man I had missed terribly throughout the time I was held captive.

"Delia," he breathed, and I stood and ran into his arms.

"Daddy," I whimpered, my eyes suddenly full of tears. His embrace was everything I remembered, the last thing I wanted to remember from before my captivity, before making that terrible decision, before...

"You humans sure dwell on the bad things, don't you?" Weyoun asked, his voice sounding quite bored. I was struck with a horrible feeling of vertigo, and I gripped my father tightly.

"You two shouldn't be here. From what I've been reading in the Infirmary about the current situation, the potential threat of the Dominion..." I said, "I really wish you'd go back to Earth, where you'll be safe."

My father shook his head, holding me out at arm's length to take a good long look at me. "Not without you. We thought we lost you, I'm not prepared to lose you again."

I shook my head furiously, "Daddy..."

"She's right, Richard," my mother chimed in, placing her hand on his shoulder, "and she's a big girl now, she can take care of herself. We should know this more now than ever. Look at all she survived. _She_ survived, no one else on the _Reunion _did."

_That's not true, mommy. I wish I could tell you that's not true. But I just want you safe. Please, go back home, _I thought, desperately wishing that my parents were telepaths and could understand what I wanted them to. Weyoun's laughter rang out through my head, threatening to shatter my skull.

My communicator badge chirped, and I shrugged away from my father. "Grissom here," I said, responding to the hail.

"Please report to the security office, Crewman," Odo's voice came across the comm channel.

"Right away," I responded. I turned back to my parents. "I... really gotta go. I'll be back as soon as I can, but if I've understood the duty roster right, my duty shift won't end until 0300 tomorrow," I said apologetically, "Please, at least, _consider _going home?"

My father shook his head no, my mother nodded, yes. I forced a smile. "I love you."

"Love you more," my mother said.

"Love you most," said my father. The smile on my lips grew a little more believable as I headed for the door. "One more thing, Delia," my father called. I turned around. "I like your new look. But I'm not sure that sharing the same haircut as a superior officer is the best way to get a promotion." My mother and I burst out laughing, and I walked out of my quarters-

-and ran head-first into Weyoun, flanked by a pair of armed Jem'Hadar. I screamed bloody murder, turned around, and scrambled into the nearest turbolift. I had to use the manual override to get where I was headed, because my voice failed me. _Is it part of your plan to scare me to death before you get any useful information out of me? _I thought, directing the thought straight at Weyoun, who was, no doubt, having a good laugh at my reaction outside my quarters. I received no response.


	5. Part Five: Daydreams and Nightmares

Five – Nightmares and Daydreams

I stood on the walkway that overlooked the lower level of the Promenade, letting myself calm down after the incident outside my quarters. Once I was sure that I was okay, I straightened myself, smoothing out my uniform, and walked into the Security Office, where I was greeted by the station's Chief of Security, Odo, and Captain Sisko.

"Oh! I'm so sorry I kept you waiting, Sir," I stammered, heart racing again.

"At ease, Crewman, I'm just here to ask you a few questions. All you need to do is answer as best as you can," Sisko replied, gesturing to the chair that sat across the desk from him and Odo. I stepped over and sat down, clearing my throat.

"Can I just ask one quick question before you start, Sir?" I asked. Sisko nodded, looking at me expectantly. "Um, why is Weyoun here? On the station?" He raised an eyebrow. I felt this sudden surge of anger reverberate through my skull, and I cringed.

"To speak with a representative from Bajor," Sisko replied, slowly, carefully thinking about each word. "Why do you ask?"

"I..." I trailed off. "I ran into him in the habitat ring. I got a bit worried."

"_Nice save,_" Gul Dukat's voice echoed through my head. _None of you could have warned me that I was about to run into Weyoun? _I thought severely. Horrible laughter was the only response I received.

"Crewman?" Odo's voice cut through my thoughts. I forced myself to focus on the task at hand.

"I'm sorry, what were we talking about?" I asked.

"I asked you to walk us through what you do remember from the time you were on the _Reunion _ until the time we found you," Odo said calmly, but there was a tone of irritation to his voice. I sighed.

"Yes, sorry sir. I'm still a little... shook up."

"It's all right, Crewman, just, take your time.

I took a deep breath, centered myself, and began. The memories assaulted my brain; I could almost reach out and touch Brendan and Gilly in the barracks on the _Reunion, _I could still smell the foul stench of the holding cell on the Dominion ship. I paused a lot, leaving most of the story out, biting my lip when it was difficult to not scream _They're making me work for them! Send me back to Earth, away from the Wormhole, away from the fighting! _

And then it just slipped out. "I was raped. By Brendan Tarr. After he defected to the Dominion." Gul Dukat's voice boomed through my head, _"You say one more word and you will die before you hit the floor, Starfleet."_

I clenched my eyes shut tight, conjuring up tears so I could deflect further questions. I hid my face with my hand as I sobbed quietly. "Thank you for your honesty, Crewman, we know this must be difficult for you to share," Odo said, "Is there anything more you would like to tell us?"

I shook my head, no. Sisko stood up, and I pulled myself up, looking up at him. "Thank you, Crewman. And I want you to know, I have put you in for consideration for a promotion."

I cringed inwardly, but nodded and tried to force a smile. "Really? Thank you, Sir."

"If you'll excuse me, I must be headed back to Ops. Constable, Crewman," Captain Sisko excused himself, leaving myself and Odo in the Security Office.

"I guess you're my new security officer, Crewman Grissom," Odo said, once Sisko was out of the room. I nodded.

"That's what my assignment was," I replied. _Not that I had any choice in the matter, _I thought, bored. _"You are lucky to be serving directly under the Founder Odo," _Weyoun's voice echoed through my brain. _Shut up, _ I thought.

"All right, to start out, I'm going to have you patrol the habitat ring. At 0100 I want you to report to Quark's Bar, and I'll teach you the closing procedures for the establishments on the Promenade that sell alcoholic beverages." There was no emotion to his voice. He opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a standard-issue phaser. "Keep this on stun at all times. And make sure you answer any and all hails on your comm badge. If you have any questions or problems, you know how to find me."

He handed me the phaser, and I quickly holstered it. "I will perform my duties to the best of my abilities, Sir."

I arrived back at my quarters at 0435, stripped naked, and took a long shower. I had stopped back to the Infirmary after my shift had ended at 0300, and been told some news that made me want to die. I wandered along the empty Promenade, trying to collect my thoughts. In just a little bit less than 8 months, I was going to be a mother.

I pulled on an old nightgown my mother had made for me when I'd been accepted into the Academy, and climbed into bed. In my front room, I could hear my mom and dad snoring quietly. Gilly jumped up next to me and began kneading on my arm. The soft purring that came from deep within her made me weep. I scooped her up in my arms and rolled over so I was on my back, holding her above me.

She squirmed and hollered like hell, biting my thumbs. "Oh, Gil," I whispered, "Gilligan Grissom, I love you." I pulled her close to me and kissed her forehead before letting her go. She bit my thumb again, before jumping down off the bed and running out of the room. I lied in bed for a good long while.

"Computer," I called out, after trying to fall asleep, "What time is it?"

"The current time is 0521 hours," the Computer replied. I rolled over and stood up. I put on a fresh uniform and left the bedroom. I kissed my daddy on the cheek and pulled my mom's blanket up over her shoulders before walking out of my quarters, heading to the nearest turbolift. "Promenade," I commanded, leaning on the wall. My hands found their way to the center of my abdomen, and I found myself wondering about the life that was growing inside me-

-And about how I could end that life.

"_You will do no such thing,"_ Dukat's voice cut through my thoughts, _"My son will be thrilled to learn he will be a father." _

"Leave me _alone_, Dukat. My body, my decision. I hope Brendan _dies,_" I hissed. The turbolift halted, and I stepped out onto the Promenade. I walked past the Bajoran shop keepers who were setting up their businesses for the day, and headed for the Replimat.

I got a raktajino and a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon. I sat down at a table in the furthest back corner I could find and took a sip of my coffee. I picked up a padd that someone had left on the table and paged through until I found a news page. I scrolled through, skimming the things I'd missed while in the care of the Dominion. It hit me that I'd been captive for more than a month. I nudged my food around on my plate, listening to a group of Bajorans laugh and eat breakfast together.

"Is this seat taken?" I heard someone ask, a voice that was vaguely familiar. I shook my head, no, on the off chance that the statement was directed at me. Apparently it was, as a tray clunked down across from me. I felt the color drain from my face as I noticed that the hands that held the tray were the same odd shade of gray that Brendan's skin was. I absentmindedly ran my hand over the soft bristle that was my hair. I set the padd down and looked across the table, almost relieved to find myself looking at an unfamiliar, yet somehow friendly-looking, Cardassian face.

"I, uh, didn't know there were any Cardassians still on the station," I muttered.

"Oh, dear, where are my manners?" he exclaimed, then stretched one of his arms across the table, extending his hand to me, "I'm Garek, if you need a tailor, there isn't one better than I." I hesitated, but then grabbed his hand and shook it.

"I'm Grissom. Er- I mean, I'm Delia Grissom." I cringed. I was so used to just giving my surname and rank. To my surprise, Garek laughed a hearty laugh.

"You must be the new girl, the _survivor_. Everyone's talking about you, you know."

"What?" I blurted, "I mean, I guess. I was captured from the _Reunion_."

"What did you think of Cardassia?" he asked. I looked at him, confused.

"It was... unpleasant," I replied, "the word 'torture' comes to mind." Garek grimaced.

"Ah, yes, I suppose, being held prisoner would shine a rather unfavorable light on a planet. You really should go back sometime, after the war." I nodded without really committing to anything. "How are you liking it here so far?"

I looked down into my plate. "It's... been disappointing so far..."

"Oh? How so?" he asked. I shook my head.

"It's not really something I want to talk about." I said, pursing my lips. I took a big bite of my food, so as to incapacitate my mouth and keep myself from talking myself into a hole I couldn't get out of.

"Hmm, well, should you ever wish to talk about it, come find me. I've got a shop on the Promenade." He held up a glass of something that looked like coffee, only thicker and darker. "For now, I propose a toast." I raised an eyebrow. "To new friendships, and to doing what it takes to keep yourself alive." I felt the color drain from my face again and quickly raised my coffee mug, hitting it against his glass with an over-enthusiastic _clang_. His smile turned devious, one that was reminiscent of Dukat.

_Don't worry, don't worry, he doesn't know, he couldn't know, smile damn you, smile._ I took a sip of my coffee, and he took a long drink of his beverage. "I'd love to see your shop," I said, quickly trying to change the subject. That devious smile of his deepened, and I cringed.

"Well then," he said, finishing off his glass of what I suspected was some form of synthale, "There's no time like the present, is there?" I took one last bite of my food and downed the rest of my coffee, nodding eagerly. We walked together out onto the Promenade, watching the other shopkeepers beginning the daunting task of opening their stores for the day.

"I have a feeling you would look wonderful in a dress I've been working on," Garek said as he unlocked the gate to his shop. My forced smile became slightly less forced.

"I look forward to seeing it," I replied. Garek turned and looked at me, a smile apparent in his eyes.

"Oh, Ziyal, good morning, dearest!" he said, looking past me. I turned around to see a woman who closely reminded me of Brendan, same skin tone, same muted features, but still very easily recognizable as part-Cardassian.

"Good morning, Garek, you're here early today," the woman said, "and I see you already have a customer!"

"Actually, she's new to the station, I just had breakfast with her." The woman, Ziyal, put on an expression of mock-hurt.

"You couldn't wait to have breakfast with both of us?" she asked. Garek grinned.

I smoothed out the front of my uniform and cleared my throat, "I'm Delia."

"My name's Ziyal." It was almost as though she could read my mind, for the next words out of her mouth were, "I'm Gul Dukat's daughter." I gulped.

"Come in, I'm open for business!" Garek called from behind me. Ziyal walked past me, very gently brushing her shoulder past mine. I turned around to see pretty much exactly what I had expected to see. A quaint little shop, a few dresses, a couple suits, a very nice bridal gown hanging near the very back of the shop, and a proud Cardassian waiting expectantly for a reaction.

Ziyal stood next to Garek and waited with him as I walked along, surveying his wares. I paused at a yellow sun dress that was reminiscent of what I'd been given to wear on Cardassia. "Have you sold anything like this one recently?" I asked. Garek stepped forward.

"I knew you'd find something you liked," he said happily, "Why, yes, this is a particularly popular style this year on Bajor and on the station."

"Did you sell any to the Dominion?" I hadn't meant to say it, really I hadn't.

"As a matter of fact," he said, "That Vorta, what's his name? Anyway, he was in here five or six weeks ago. I sold him the first one I'd made. He said it would be a gift for someone. Why do you ask?"

I shook my head, "I don't know." Garek looked me straight in the eye.

"You make a terrible liar, miss Grissom," he said.

I raised an eyebrow. I knew I had dug myself into a hole yet again. "Well, that may be," I said, slowly, thinking carefully about my every word, "but I'm afraid that that is all you will be getting out of me." I slunk toward the door. "Thank you for your kindness. It's nice to know _someone_ on this station. I'll see you."

I yawned and stretched once I was outside the shop, and walked slowly to the nearest turbolift. I was sure my mom and dad would be waking up soon, and I wanted to be there to try to convince them to leave the station. I wound up in the same turbolift as Major Kira. "Habitat Ring, Section E," I said, and then stood next to her in silence.

"Hello," she said a few moments into the ride, "how do you like working with Odo so far?" I looked at her, a bit shocked.

"How did you-?" I asked, confused.

"How did I know you're the new kid in Security? Me and Odo are friends. And besides, there's not a person on the station who doesn't know who you are, Grissom."

I blushed. "It's interesting. I'm learning a lot." She smiled.

"I shouldn't tell you this, but he's already been speaking very highly of you. Keep it up and he might not want to let you go if you get promoted," she said. I flushed a deeper shade of red.

"But it's only been one day," I replied, shocked. The turbolift halted, and we were in Ops. I looked out into the room, and felt this sort of quiet desperation build in the back of my brain. It was all I could do to keep from running to the nearest console and looking up all the station's secrets.

"Have a good day," she said, getting off the turbolift. I waved, bye, as the turbolift started moving again. A few minutes later I was in the habitat ring, walking toward my quarters.

When I walked in, the room was dark. "Computer," I commanded, "lights." And I quickly wished that I hadn't.


	6. Part Six: Don't Look Back

Author's Note: This story is becoming increasingly difficult to write, and I think that it is probably just the fact that I am not used to finishing the projects that I begin. Nevertheless, if my updates begin to be fewer and farther between, I am still working on this one. I promise to finish it. There's just so much that still needs to happen. So much that hasn't been written, that writhes and claws just behind my eyeballs. It will all be written, and published to the site. Eventually.

Six – Don't Look Back

"What- How-" I forced my mouth to form words, but I couldn't make any sense of it. There, in my room, holding my cat, was Brendan Tarr, smiling deviously at me. I felt rage, my own rage, boiling inside me.

"Why, Delia, you don't look pleased to see me," he responded nonchalantly, stroking Gilly's head. I could hear her purr from where I stood.

I smacked my communicator badge, demanding, "Grissom to station security, there's an intruder in my Quarters. Habitat ring, section E." Brendan casually stepped forward, and I reached for my phaser.

"Now, now, you can't possibly think that I'll allow myself to be captured, Delia? You're much too smart for that." He reached a hand out to touch me. I snarled, pressing the business end of my phaser to his chest.

"Put Gilly down," I hissed, "_now._"

"You wouldn't fire on me. You don't have the guts."

"Try me," I said, glancing down to my phaser, switching the setting from _stun _to _kill_. "Give me another reason to fire on you. Do it, Brendan." _Where are you, security? Why don't you respond?_ I thought. Looking at Brendan, I realized quite how odd it looked for him to wear Cardassian clothing, to accentuate that part of his genetic features. He bore a startling similarity to another Cardassian, but not Gul Dukat-

My mental inventory on my former friend was cut short as my door was forced open, and Odo, along with a few armed Bajorans, burst through. Brendan dropped Gilly, who quickly scurried away from the crowd that now took up the majority of my main room. I pressed myself back against the wall, shouting, "That's Brendan Tarr! He's the one that defected to the Dominion!"

Brendan's devious grin grew wider as he let go of Gilly, took a step backward, and said, "This isn't the last you'll see of me, Delia." Before we could blink, he was gone, transported off the station.

Odo turned to look at me. I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know what that was about. I really don't."

"Captain Sisko won't be happy when he hears about this," Odo said. I shook my head, no. And then it hit me.

"My parents-" I gasped. "Computer," I cried, "Locate Richard Grissom."

"Richard Grissom is in habitat ring, section E." I breathed a sigh of relief, and went into the other room to find my parents both still sleeping peacefully, but sprawled across my bed.

"You need to come with me, Crewman," Odo said, coming up behind me.

"But-" I stammered, "But I already told you, I don't know what is going on, I had nothing to do with him being on the station!"

"I'm not the one you have to convince," Odo replied, grimly.

It was nearly 1200 hours when I had finally convinced Captain Sisko and Odo of the truth, that I really did have absolutely no idea what Brendan was doing on the station, much less in my quarters. I had never been so completely nervous, terrified, and exhausted, in equal and alternating parts, in my entire life. I had stood there, in front of Sisko's desk, for nearly five full hours, flinching at every question.

I began to suspect that Garak really _had_ suspected something, and had brought those suspicions up to the Captain. I decided, as I walked through Ops to the turbolift, that I would not speak to the Cardassian again. A decision that brought an almost giddy happiness to the creeps that were watching my every move from my own point of view. I half-crawled, half-dragged-myself back to my quarters, where I hugged my mom and dad, apologized, and crashed, head-first, into my bed, fully clothed.

I awoke four hours later with a cat sitting on the back of my head. "Gilly," I said, my voice muffled by my pillow, "get off. Gilly, come on!"

"Delia? Are you awake, honey?" my mom called. I groaned and rolled over, forcing Gilly to jump onto the bed. She whined at me.

"Yeah, Mom," I called back. I sat up, wincing at the pain in my still-sore, still-healing ribs. In all the excitement and all the exhaustion of the previous night, I had all but forgotten that I was damaged goods. I couldn't help but wonder why my leg and my arms had been able to be splinted at an almost cellular level, but Dr. Bashir hadn't been able to do anything for my ribs. I rubbed my eyes, which didn't want to stay open after the short, turbulent sleep that had taken me.

I was very happy to see a steaming cup of raktajino sitting on the table in the other room waiting for me, across from where my mother sat, also waiting for me. "Mornin', sleepyhead," she said with a smile. I yawned and stretched.

"How'd you know I'd want coffee?" I asked, groaning, as I sat down across the table from her. She grinned a sly grin.

"You're a Grissom. We can't survive without coffee," she replied. I gave her a half-hearted smile and leaned against the table. "You want to talk about it?"

"I didn't- I mean, I really didn't think I was going to make it here. It's so surreal being here, and now everything I do is suspect. I mean, I know _why_ it is..." I trailed off, rubbing my forehead. The spot where the monitor chip lay just below my skin was burning, and that had given me strange half-dreams in the few hours I slept.

"Honey," my mother said after a long pause, "I need to ask you. I mean, I need to hear it in your own words."

"What, Mom?" I asked.

"Are you working for the Dominion?"

I took a long drink from my coffee, set my cup down, and looked at the table. "No, Mom." _Liar._ "I'm not. I swear it." _Liar, you lying little _spy.

"_Spoken like a true servant of the Dominion, I'm impressed," _Weyoun's voice echoed. I snarled.

"SHUT UP!" I screamed, "I'M NOT A SERVANT OF THE DOMINION!" My mother stared at me, wide-eyed. I felt all the color drain from my face and stood up, knocking my chair over. "I- I-" I stammered, before turning and running out of my quarters.

_I'm gonna tell them. I've got to. I can't do this anymore. I don't care if it kills me. I need to come clean! _I thought, militantly angry at the fact that Weyoun had pulled such strong emotions from me.

"_You are forcing my hand, Delia, and that is not something you really wish to do," _Weyoun replied, his irritation washing over me like a tidal wave. It became, quite suddenly, very difficult to continue to move forward. It was as though I was slogging through knee-deep mud. _"I cannot allow you to jeopardize your mission before you have even gathered any information we could use. It simply cannot be done._"

"Help me," I called out, to the empty hallway, unable to move my arm enough to hit my communicator badge, "I'm being coerced. There's an implant in my skull. I'm being forced to spy on the Federation. Help."

And I could say no more. My mouth wouldn't move for me, nor would my limbs. I was no longer in control of my own body.


	7. Part Seven:  A Call To Arms THE END

Author's Notes: This is the final installment of "The Spy." I have thought long and hard about it, and have decided that, if I am to "mirror" the entirety of the last two seasons of the series with Delia's story, it will be broken down into parts. This will also give me the freedom to work the plot out a bit better before uploading.

I want to thank each and every reader that this story has had. I want to thank each and every one of you who has reviewed this story. It has meant so much to me to have this little piece of the Star Trek fandom to call my own. And now I release the ending of the first part of a trilogy.

Part Seven – A Call to Arms – The Conclusion of The Spy

I was a prisoner in my own mind. Every word my mouth said was chosen by someone else. Every meal I ate was chosen for me. Even my dreams were not my own. I was lucid enough to see what was happening around me, but I was powerless to do anything.

Weyoun somehow managed to smooth talk my way into Ops, managed to win over some small measure of trust from Sisko, and, more importantly (in Weyoun's eyes), Odo. Gul Dukat convinced my parents to go back to their normal lives, that I was safe on DS9 and that my previous outbursts had been a response to unfamiliar stress. My body was a puppet; a marionette that danced and sang for her Dominion puppet masters.

And then I, rather, we, overheard Chief O'Brien and Lieutenant Dax talking on the Promenade. Talking about mining the entrance to the wormhole in response to the convoys of ships that arrived weekly from the Dominion. My blood boiled with Dukat's rage, and, for a moment, I was in control of my own body again, voices in my head hissing, "Say one word and it will be your last." Even with that threat hanging over me, I contemplated running to Dax and O'Brien and confessing everything.

But the lapse in the Dominion's control over me was only temporary, and soon there was another voice in my head. Not Dukat, not the Founder, and definitely not Weyoun. My blood boiled with rage that was all my own when I heard Brendan's voice telling my body what to do, what to say.

It occurred to me that the lack of Dukat or Weyoun overseeing my body's every move meant that they would be visiting the station. It occurred to me that this could be the move that sparked an all out war, a terrible, bloody war, between the two powers.

Brendan did not try to strike up conversation with me. He maneuvered my body rather stiffly, awkwardly, following O'Brien and Dax, but not too closely.

_You're getting unwanted attention, making me walk like a Cardassian, _I thought, more as an insult than as a piece of advice.

"_As long as we get the information we need, that doesn't matter," _Brendan shot back. I laughed, though the laugh didn't escape my lips.

_We won't _get_ the information you need if you keep drawing attention. You have to walk more naturally. Sway the hips. Drop the shoulders a bit. If you let me control myself for a moment I'll show you. _

"_You'll just run off."_

_With you in my head, threatening to take back the controls? Unlikely. Besides, it's rather useless for me to fight now. You've got your information. The Dominion will kill me soon enough, anyway. Just like you said, _I thought, miserably. He seemed to buy it, though, because the next thing I knew I had face-planted just outside the turbolift that Dax and O'Brien had gotten on. I had not expected him to give up control of myself, much less do it mid-step. His laughter drowned out my thoughts as I willed my legs and arms to work. I was not entirely confident in my abilities to move anymore (another reason I hadn't bolted when granted momentary control by Weyoun and Dukat).

By the time I regained my footing and my bearings, the two we, er, I, was following were long gone. Brendan was still laughing too hard to be really angry at me for losing them. I got on the turbolift and headed to my quarters. I focused on blocking Brendan out of my brain. I figured that, because he wasn't one of my usual "handlers," he'd be easier to block out. I'd never really tried it before, but didn't think it could hurt.

As silly as it was, the first thing I did upon arriving back at my quarters was replicate a big bowl of noodles, drowning in butter and garlic. I had been craving that simple meal for weeks, but Dukat and Weyoun fed my body basic nutrient rations that looked, tasted, and filled me up exactly like cardboard.

"_And what exactly do you think you're doing? You're supposed to follow those senior officers!" _Brendan shouted in my head. I focused on blocking him out and took a big bite of my noodles, nearly crying out in pleasure as butter dripped down my chin. It was good to taste something.

_I'm not doing anything else for the Dominion until I have some real food in my stomach. _Your_ baby demands it, _I hissed back.

I never did catch up with O'Brien and Dax. When I attempted to locate them after eating, the Computer notified me that they were each in their own quarters. Instead, I focused on getting closer to Captain Sisko. By watching him, I only learned that he was also human; that he was just as afraid as we all were of the massive conflict that undoubtedly lay ahead of us.

Brendan, during this entire time, attempted twice to regain control of me. But I found that if I focused hard enough on keeping said control, I could block him out. It was a small comfort.

"Captain," I called out, finding him walking alone, and hurried to catch up to him, "Captain Sisko, can I have a word?"

"What is it, Crewman?" he asked.

"Sir, I've heard about the minefield, and I was wondering if there's anything I can do to help."

He nodded, solemnly. "Chief O'Brien will need all the help he can get setting up the mines and getting them deployed. Report to Engineering at 0530 hours. Chief O'Brien will teach you what you'll need to know."

"Thank you, Sir. I will be there."

The next time I heard Weyoun's voice in my head, he did not seem pleased. "You Federation types are all the same. Stubborn and completely missing the bigger picture." Apparently, he'd met with Captain Sisko shortly after I met with him. He'd tried to get Sisko to forget about putting up the minefield. Unsuccessfully, of course. Shortly after he skimmed my thoughts, went over everything I'd seen and heard, the voices in the back of my mind vanished. It was as if I'd never become a spy for the Dominion. I wondered, for a moment, if they were finished using me. I wondered if I should go immediately and confess my role, this part that had been picked for me.

Instead, I pulled up as much information as I could about the mines we were setting up and studied. I crammed my brain as full as I could with schematics and technical things.

I didn't sleep before boarding the _Defiant_. I was hyped up on coffee and ready to lend a hand where I could, helping to assemble the components of the mines and get them ready to be placed.

At first, it all went smoothly.

Then Captain Sisko notified us that the Dominion was coming. That we didn't have as much time as we needed to place the mines. We went on red alert. Around me, there was chaos. Controlled chaos, I suppose one would call it. The others who were working on the mines scrambled to finish.

"Chief, how much longer?" Jadzia demanded over the comm system.

"Just another couple of minutes," replied Chief O'Brien, looking over my shoulder as he moved quickly between mines, "Take us to our final set of coordinates."

"Is that the last of them?" I asked, moving to the final one I'd been told to configure. O'Brien lifted his head to respond when the ship rocked violently.

"Chief, I'm going to have to take evasive maneuvers!" Jadzia cried.

"If you do, you risk setting off every mine on this ship," O'Brien responded.

"And if I don't," declared Jadzia, "we may not have a ship left!"

I leaned against the wall as the ship rocked once more, and double checked the last mine I'd set.

We set the last mine, and the field was activated. We were ordered to return to the station.

Sisko ordered the evacuation of the station. I sprinted across the station to my quarters, I couldn't leave Gilly alone on the station with the Dominion in control. I was to stay on the Defiant, to continue to serve under Captain Sisko. With Gilly under my arm, I moved as quickly as I could through the crowds in the docking ring, back to the Defiant.

I noticed, too late, that Garak was also on board, and the look he gave me when he saw me made me seriously doubt that I would be a Starfleet officer much longer. I silently pleaded with him not to out me to Sisko. The guilt that washed over me felt almost like a two ton brick, weighing down on my head. My plan was to stay out of the way and just do my job to the best of my ability.

I reported to Chief O'Brien to help repair the damage that had been dealt to the Defiant. My future was uncertain, my past was uncomfortable. The only thing I could count on was the shaky ground on which I stood presently.

"_You've done well," _a voice, the female founder's voice, echoed through my head. I hoped desperately that the words were not really meant for me.


End file.
